Temperature and inter-specific competition alter the impacts of an invasive crayfish on a key ecological process

Abstract

[Excerpt] Climate change is expected to alter the impacts of invasive species due to changes in their density, behaviour and phenology. As omnivorous and ectotherms, invasive cray!sh species are particularly in"uenced by temperature and alter their impacts on native species by changing the consumption of native invertebrate preys, changing competitive interactions or increasing their impacts on key ecosystem processes, such as plant-litter decomposition. Two most invasive cray!sh species are the signal cray!sh Pacifastacus leniusculus (Dana) and the red swamp cray!sh Procambarus clarkii (Girard), both established in Europe. [...]